JANUARY 2004 LEGISLATIVE REPORT

CALIFORNIA FIRE CHIEF’S FIRE PREVENTION OFFICERS

The following is legislation in the California Legislature being monitored by the FPO Legislative Committee.

For current information or to review any of these bills go to www.leginfo.ca.gov

The Legislature is back in session. This is the second year of the two-year (2003-2004) session. The Legislature is still working on bills left over from last year. Bills can be introduced until February 21, 2004. The Legislative Task Force and The FPO Legislative Committee are still looking at some proposed legislation.

AB = Assembly Bill
SB = Senate Bill 

AB 224, Kehoe:
Cal-Chiefs: Support
Topic: Roof covering materials.
Status: In Senate. Read first time. To Com. on RLS. for assignment.
Position: Support
Priority: 1
Summary: This bill would provide that a common interest development (Home Owner’s Association and such) may not require a homeowner to install or repair a roof in a manner that violates the requirements of current law.

Assembly Bill 731 will not be heard. The bills sponsor, Orange County Fire has asked the author to stop this legislation.

AB 731, Spitzer

Topic: Building Inspections: H&S Code Section 13146.2

Status: In Senate - 2-year bill

Summary: To amend Section 13146.2 of the Health and Safety Code, to allow inspections of apartment houses at least once every three years. Current law requires inspections annually and allows local jurisdictions to charge fees to cover cost of inspections.

An apartment house would be defined under this section as: an apartment house in which each unit has a separate exit to the exterior of the apartment house.

AB 904, Lowenthal
Cal-Chiefs: Support Topic: Arson: registration.
Status: In Assembly -2-year bill

Summary: Existing law requires a person convicted in this state of arson, as defined, on or after November 30, 1994, to register with the chief of police or sheriff of the jurisdiction in which the person is residing within a specified period after changing his or her residence.
This bill would, in addition, require a person to register as an arsonist if the person is convicted, on or after January 1, 2004, in any other state, federal, or military court, of any offense that if committed or attempted in this state would have been punishable as arson, or if the person has been ordered by any other court to register as an arsonist.

AB 1216 , Vargas
Topic: Fire safety: regulations.
Status: Signed by Governor in 2003
Summary: Existing law requires the State Fire Marshal, no later than July 1, 1996, in consultation with the Director of Forestry and Fire Protection, to prepare and adopt a model ordinance that provides for comprehensive space and structure defensibility, including in very high fire severity zones.
This bill instead would require the State Fire Marshal, no later than January 1, 2005, in consultation with the Director of Forestry and Fire Protection, to prepare regulations that provide for comprehensive space and structure defensibility from exterior fire penetration.

AB 1576 , Liu:
Cal-Chiefs: Support

Topic: Water heaters: earthquakes.
Status: Sighed by Governor in 2003
Summary: Existing law requires all new, replacement, and existing water heaters to be braced, anchored, or strapped to resist falling or horizontal displacement due to earthquake motion, as specified.
This bill would expressly impose that requirement on all water heaters in rental housing, to be complied with by no later than July 1, 2005.

AB 1633, Levine:
Cal-Chiefs: Opposed in current form

Topic: Building standards.

Status: In Senate –2-year bill
Summary: This bill would authorize the commission, in cases other than those state buildings, to adopt those building standards when it determines that uniform statewide standards are necessary to protect the public health and safety or are otherwise in the public interest.

SB 54 , Dunn
Topic: Mobilehomes.
Status: Sighed by Governor in 2003

Summary: The existing Mobilehome Parks Act generally provides for enforcement of the act by a local enforcement agency.
This bill would require an inspector or representative of the enforcement agency to notify a complainant regarding a violation of the act as to when the complaint will be investigated, and to advise the complainant of the findings of the inspector.

SB 522, Soto This bill is not going to get out of the Senate

Topic: Housing: residential care: persons with disabilities.

Status: In Senate – 2-year bill

Summary: This bill would establish a licensing and inspection program, to be administered by the department, for residential hotels or motels, apartments, and room and board facilities in which over 25% of the residents are recipients of SSI/SSP or other federal or state disability assistance or have a disability.